Thesis Project

Students may enroll in MLS 690 Thesis Project after
they have completed 10 courses (40 semester hours).

The thesis project focuses on a significant question
which integrates ideas studied during the course of the MLS program. Projects
may take the form of traditional research studies that utilize primary and
secondary sources, or they may be nontraditional studies, such as creative or
applied works. Studies of a nontraditional nature must be supplemented by an
essay that sets forth their critical bases and connects them with a concept or
argument developed in the program.

All matriculated students must complete a thesis
project prior to graduation. The exact nature of that project is determined by
the student in consultation with the director and a faculty mentor. The thesis
project must be carefully designed and researched, and it must reflect the philosophy of the MLS
program and relate to the courses the student has taken.

Because the thesis project is a time-consuming
enterprise, students should consider selecting their topics and consulting with
prospective mentors well in advance of the term in which they intend to
graduate. Each summer, the director meets with all students who are eligible to
graduate during the coming academic year, and together they identify an
appropriate thesis project and a faculty member who might serve as a mentor.

The student and the faculty mentor work together to
design a detailed thesis project proposal and to select a second faculty reader
for the thesis. After the mentor and student have completed the thesis
proposal, the second reader will review it. He or she may suggest changes to
the proposal and must sign the final proposal to indicate approval. The second
reader will have an initial meeting with the student and mentor, review the
student’s progress on the first two chapters (or equivalent), read the final draft,
and join the student and mentor for a final meeting that will be called the
defense.

Thesis project proposals must be submitted to the
director by August 1 for fall term or October 15 for spring term. Students and
their mentors will be notified prior to the beginning of the term if the thesis
project proposal is acceptable or if changes are required. After a proposal has
been approved, substantive changes can be made only if the director consents.

Students who finish all classes but
who have not completed the thesis requirement by the end of the summer after
taking MLS 690 must register and pay for MLS 691 Thesis Extension (at the
billing rate of two credits) in the fall. Continuous enrollment in MLS 691,
during the fall and spring terms only, is expected until the thesis is
completed. It is the student’s responsibility to submit the required
registration and payment for MLS 691, as applicable, each term. Thesis students
seeking an exception to the continuous-enrollment policy may request up to a
one-year leave of absence from the program. This appeal must be submitted in
writing and approved by the director of the MLS program in order to be in
effect. The director reserves the right to have students who prolong the thesis
requirement to reregister for the Thesis and resubmit a thesis proposal. In all
cases, students must complete the thesis requirement by the seventh year in the
MLS program.